Next step for Northern Line Extension

Wandsworth has welcomed the announcement that Transport for London has awarded Ferrovial Agroman Laing O’Rourke the contract to design and build the Northern line extension to Battersea.

The half a billion pound, six-year contract covers the main
construction works. The full cost of the scheme, expected to be up to £1bn, is
being funded entirely through developer contributions from Battersea Power
Station and other developers and, from 2016, the creation of a new Enterprise
Zone in Nine Elms. The powers to build the line are expected to be announced by
the Government shortly and construction is due to start next year.

Wandsworth Council has been lobbying for the Tube extension
for years while working closely on the scheme with Transport for London (TfL)
and the GLA to develop the business case and financing package.

Two new Tube stations will be built – one at Battersea Power
Station and another just off Wandsworth Road. They would connect to the rest of
the Northern Line at Kennington Station and could be open by 2020.

The Northern line extension will help regenerate the Nine
Elms area of Battersea by supporting up to 25,000 new jobs and more than 18,000
new homes. The people of Battersea will get access to the tube network for the
first time, and journey times to the West End and the City will be cut to just
under 15 minutes.

Mike Brown MVO, the Managing Director of London Underground,
said: "This is an important step in ensuring the delivery of this vital
extension which will significantly improve transport links in the area.”

Wandsworth Council leader Ravi Govindia said:

“It’s fantastic news that a contractor has been appointed
and we are a step closer to achieving this vital tube link that we have been
campaigning for so long. It will breathe new life into Nine Elms and yield
billions of pounds in new economic growth and tax revenue.”